Cherokee heritage groups

Cherokee Heritage Groups are tribal groups and organizations located across the United States and in other countries that seek to preserve key Cherokee concepts of ceremonial, cultural and natural value. They incorporate genealogy, language, social interaction and sharing of information between members. Some heritage groups sponsor and support protection of geographic areas, buildings, plants, documents, relics or spiritually related information. While many modern groups are liberal in their membership and focus on powwows or festivals, others such as the Cherokee Nighthawk Society were restrictive in membership and met in secret.

Origins

The origins of these groups can be found in those opposing certain treaties, allotment of lands, and abandonment of spiritual beliefs in the late 1800's. Cherokee, Creek and Nathez formed the "Four Mothers Society" to resist the federal government's attempts of forced assimilation and break up of the five civilized tribes. From this society Redbird Smith began a group to revive traditional Cherokee spiritual practices called "The White Path" of righteousness. They resisted the Dawes commission, rekindled the sacred fires, had stomp dances and took back their spiritual Wampum Belts traditionally used by the medicine men. A son of Chief John Ross delivered one or more of these belts to Smith. From these efforts were formed the politically active "Keetowah Society" and the spiritual "Nighthawk Keetowah Society". These movements and people later influenced the formation of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in 1946. The United Keetoowah Band is recognized by the U.S. government

Individual Recognition

Some Cherokee people who are unable to enroll in federally recognized tribes join heritage groups to be recognized for who they are. The Cherokee Nation requires a geneological link to the Dawes or Baker rolls. This results in disenfranchised, and rejected Cherokee descendants who have a high degree of Indian blood yet are ineligible for tribal membership. It is partially due to the fact that some Cherokee avoided the federal agents who did the enrollments.

"I am a full-blood Western Cherokee Indian, could not talk the English language until I was fifteen years old......Enrollment started at the instance of the Dawes Commission and we all experienced a great deal of difficulty in getting enrolling. Lots of the Indians were so hard headed that when the men or investigator came around to see them they would not give any information and consequently were not enrolled. There was a certain class of white man, half-breeds and negroes that would run them down and get enrolled. Some of them deserved it and some of them didn’t."

— - Bird Doublehead, University of Oklahoma, Western History Collections, Interview with Bird Doublehead

Tribal Recognition

Heritage groups have sometimes sought recognition as Cherokee tribes. While some are recognized by state governments, only the United Keetoowah have gained federal recognition. Federally recognized tribes are sovereign units of tribal government whose inherent, long standing powers of self rule and control are recognized and reaffirmed. Cherokee Nation spokesman Mike Miller said that some Heritage groups are encouraged (Glenn 2006). Eastern Band Chief Jones said "There are non-recognized Indian tribes in the United States that absolutely should have been previously recognized and through unfortunate historical twists of fate have not been." Others, however, are controversial for their attempts to gain economically through their claims to be Cherokee tribes. Some of these claims are disputed by the three federally recognized groups, who assert themselves as the only groups having the legal right to present themselves as Cherokee Indian Tribes (Official Statement Cherokee Nation 2000, Pierpoint 2000).

While heritage groups may base their membership on cultural and genealogical requirements, tribal recognition is more complex in it's adherence to academic, legal, historic, sociological, anthropological and genealogical principles. Recognized tribes have encouraged the federal government to hold to a system of "Tribal" recognition rather than "Indian" or individual recognition, and an origin benchmark of 1871.

There are some 200,000 people who self identify as Cherokee but are not enrolled in federally recognized bands (Thornton 1992, 2).

There are currently about 30 Cherokee groups seeking recognition as Cherokee nations or tribes from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (Official Statement of Cherokee Nation, 2000). However, the last group to gain recognition as a Cherokee tribe was the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokees more than 50 years ago.

U.S. Department of the Interior - Cherokee Indian Registry

Today, individuals of Cherokee ancestry fall into the following categories:

(1) Living persons who were listed on the final rolls of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (Dawes Commission Rolls) that were approved and descendants of these persons. These final rolls were closed in 1907.

(2) Individuals enrolled as members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina and their descendants who are eligible for enrollment with the Band.

(3) Persons on the list of members identified by a resolution dated April 19, 1949, and certified by the Superintendent of the Five Civilized Tribes Agency and their descendants who are eligible for enrollment with the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indian of Oklahoma.

(4) All other persons of Cherokee Indian ancestry.

Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma - Statement on Heritage Groups

"There are more than 200 groups that we’ve been able to recognize that call themselves a Cherokee nation, tribe, or band," said Mike Miller, spokesman for the Cherokee Nation (the one based here in Tahlequah, at the W.W. Keeler Tribal Complex).

"Only three are federally recognized, but the other groups run the gamut of intent. Some are basically heritage groups – people who have family with Cherokee heritage who are interested in the language and culture, and we certainly encourage that," said Miller. "But the problem is when you have groups that call themselves ‘nation,’ or ‘band,’ or ‘tribe,’ because that implies governance."

Listing of Cherokee Heritage Groups

Albuquerque Cherokee Nation Township (Cherokee Nation)   
Kentucky Cherokee Heritage group (Henderson County, Kentucky.

See also

• Cherokee
• Cultural Heritage
• Native Americans in the United States
• List of Native American Tribal Entities
• diaspora

External links

• First People of Tennessee
• MSN Cherokee Heritage Group
• American Indian Heritage Support Center
• Cherokee Heritage Center
• Cherokee Registry